Expansion joint for electric cables



April 30, 1935. D. l RUGER 1,999,981

EXPANSION JOINT FCR ELECTRIC CABLES Filed Jan. 17, 1931 Pa-tentec'Apr. 30, 1935 Y A.

Um'rro sTArl-:S PATEN'r-l lo'FicE! j Electric Specialty vCo., Chicago, lll., a corpora.- ltionofrlllinois Y Application January 17, 1931,seria1'No. 509,290 j 22 claims. (c1.-173;269) y j, This Vinvention Lrelates toA electric cable cone packing materiall! willbero'i such matenector and particularly to an expansionjoint for rial asv will not setup anyV electrical reactance cables. y. within'the housing;L asfforinstance, Zinc fibers One of the objects ofthe invention is to pro. Would notbedesirlable where the housing is made 5 Vide a joint between the cable and its terminal of .copperg' In` other-jwords, the 'metals will.; be I5 piece that will be capableV of taking up 'expan-r chosen with a view to `avoicl'any undesirablecon-jj Y? sion and allowing for contractionofthe cable.A sequences .of any `electrical reaction that might. Another object of the invention is to provide be set upV by complementary metalism. j' a connector that willtake up expansion and con- It will bejunderstoodlthat'in many installations l 'traction by means of a telescopic arrangement. where the vcurrenti's suiicientlyfheavyfor con- 10 lAnother object of the invention is to provide tinuoustoheat the conductor cable Hjit will ex- *y means within the telescopic arrangement to 'propand `flongitudinally, Hand.'"whenV the current isv duce sufficient Vfrictional contact between kthe cutofithecablewill contract againfto its normalVV parts to insure proper connectivity. v length. 'It'fisjthis action that. is sought to be l In the drawing:A l accommodated.. f j

Fig. l is aside elevation of the device; l c This applications disclosure is related to the Fig. 2 is an axial section therethrough; and disclosure ofRuger,"Seri al No.509,289, ledJan- Fig. 3 is atrans-axial section taken at the line uary 17, 1931, Solderless connection for electric 3`3 on Fig. 2.Y

2 cable, and certainffeatures Voi the invention are by a clamping devicewhich willneither distort .'I'lioughl have lsliotin anddescribed a particthe cable nor fail 'tolmake proper Y'contact thereularv V,enibodiment of myjV invention, itv 'will be with, and therefore fail yto make proper electric understoodfthat many changes and modi'cations' contact to fully carry the curren't. fThis devicev maybe made. withinthe scope of conception. Q contemplates means for overcoming these disad- Iclaim: 25 vantages and producing Yan expansion' joint 5l'. Inia'devicaof the character described in'.v

whereby there will be no relative movement be, cluding', 'cable,'1a terminal Vfitting. at the end tween the cable strands themselves and lany part' thereof, a telescopic joint' connecting the cable of the connector. j j and the'tting, a'sleeverigidly attached to the f g The drawing shows a cable terminal I E) 'forv cable jend,fa housing formed in the, saidtting, 30

connection to -a bus-bar or anyY vdevice to be pking YIl thy hOllSIlg .SUIIOUIIIIg the vSlfl served. The current-is delivered by .the cable sleeve. aY gland having Screw-threaded ,eneaeef Il vthrough va telescopic arrangement'consisting', mentV with'the said sleeve'for laterally 'distendof 'the enlarged portion `or housing l2 fof the tere ing thsdpackilg t0 IlCIeaSe its fICUOIlal CQIl-f j minalfl, and a sleeve i3 which isl soldered or tact With'thevSadllZOllSngl 35 otherwise secured tov the cable. The sleeve i3 Y 2- 11,1 2! deleffihe.'Character'deSCrbed i11- has a sliding t within the bore M of thefhous'ing cluding av cablaf a terminal 'fitting at the 1 end i2 as also has apackinggland or nut 'IS. The thelGOf. 21.13C1QSC0pCjOI-1'G-COIlIleGtng 13106031019 j gland l5 and theY sleeve AI3 have 'screw-threaded' vand the ltti ng`,asleeveonthe cable and, a hous-v It is'cominon practice to Vconnect electric cables claimedlnsfaidfther application; 20

40 engagement at l1. The sleeve i3 is reducednin ing f rcmcdfrljthe said iittingmetallicpackingr .0 l

diameter for 'a' part 'of its length to form al space in thehousing surrounding the. saiclsleeve and Y' between it andthe boreld of the housing I2.k AThe. means. carriefdby and having adiustableconnec resulting space is filled with some .sort of metallicl tion with the said sleevev for acting Orl the .Said4 packing, Vpreferably inthe nature orlmetauio packing to increaseY its` frictional 'Contact with' Wool; lthat is,`1inely stranded ber 'of metal asV the h0l1iS`iI1e-`v 1 v, fj

indicated at i3.' A Q 3. In' adevice' of Vthe Ycharacterd'escribed in; e Infa'ssembling the joint, the sleeve 13,'carrying c1uding'af,'cab1e, ia terminal fitting at the 'end the'packing gland l5, is nrst soldered tothe came thereof, va telescopicL joint connectingv the Cable 50, l I. The packing material I8 is then introduced'inv and the' fitting',v a sleeve onthe cable'e'nd,`laghous Y rotatingthe glandk Ylil the packingmaterial i8 housing surrounding'thesaid'sleevea glandhavwill be pressed; longitudinally and willtencl to ing Vscrew-:threadedengagement with the saldY the bore I4' together with the lgland l5 and upon ing'` formed in the' said' ttinggpacking inthe 50 expand laterally, atleast to a suiijcient 'extent sleeve for laterally Vdistending the said packing to fi to properly conduct the currentvvfrom thesleeve increasefitsfrictional contact withvthesaid hous I i I3 to thehousing l2. mg. l. .v .l Y

' carried by/said conductor and having a recess ing holding element. Y 19. A device of the class specified comprising a f for the packing'between the conductor and the 1 housing wall, metallic packing in said recess, and means for compressing said packing in said recess, said recess being substantially closed and being also adjacent the wall of `the terminal housing recess so that the packing in the recess will contact thepacking carrying element and also the wall of said recess, the said compressing means comprising a threaded element carried by pack-` and having threaded connection with said terminal housing having a recess' for a cable conductor, a tubular member surrounding the cable conductor andr secured thereto, saidl tubular member being adapted to tand slide longi- Vtudinally in said housing recess :and metallic lar member being adapted to itand slide longi-Y -tudinally in saidhousing recess and having a packing holding recess and metallic packing in said tubular member recess adapted to afford electrical connection between the cable conductor and housing and at the same time to aiford Aa smooth v surface for the compression of the packing, and

means for compressingthe metallic packing be-V tween the tubular element and housing wall for bettering the electrical connection.

V271. A device for the class specied'comprising a terminal housing having a recess for a'cable conductor, a tubular member surrounding the cable conductor and secured thereto and having ay packing holding recess, said tubular member being adapted to t and slide longitudinally in said housing recess and metallic packing in said tubular member recess between the tubular element and vthe housing recess wall 'tofaford electrical connection betweenV the cable conductor and housing and Aat, the same time to laiord a covering for the cable conductor to provide aV better surface for the compression of the packing,

and means for compressing the metallic packing between the tubular element and housing wall Afor bettering the electrical connection, said means comprising a gland nut having a threaded connection with the tubular element. Y

22. A device of the class specified comprising ,a terminal housing having a recess for a cable round the cable conductor and contact therewith, said'tubular member being arranged to i'lt and slide in saidhousing recess, the inner end of said Y tubular member being of substantially the size oi therecess so as to t snugly within the same and the' intermediate portion )of said tubular Y, member beingof reduced size so as to afford a i vspace between itself and the housing,v metallic packingl insaidspace, and a gland nuthaving threaded connection with the outer end of said tubular member, said gland nut having a portion lconductor, a tubular member adapted to surof its length of substantially the size of said hous- 'n ing recess so-as to t snuglyV in the same and thereby provide a substantially closed chamber for the packing between the enlarged endV of the tubular nut.

@DURI/1P. RUGER.

member and the inner end of said gland 

